Sony, Toshiba fire up talk of a compromise

No_Style · Jun 20, 2005, 10:24 PM

Despite Kutaragi's comments last week that it was "game over," Sony shake-up prompts chipmakers to sit again at the negotiating table.

The negotiations for a unified next-generation media standard between the Blu-ray and HD-DVD factions, led by Sony and Toshiba respectively, continue to bounce back and forth. Just last week, Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi said that talks between the two camps were done and that Sony would proceed with the Blu-ray format to prevent any delay to the PlayStation 3's release.

However, according to a report by Nikkei Net, the two companies plan to once again open tables for discussion following their shareholder meetings in late June. Both Sony and Toshiba's top management will be changing after the upcoming meetings, which may impact the two media-format camps. However, with time running out for both sides, a conference involving heads of both companies is deemed necessary to come to a quick conclusion.

Sony previously announced a major reshuffling in its board of directors, effective June 22, which included the appointments of Sony Corporation of America CEO Howard Stringer as group CEO and executive deputy president Ryoji Chubachi as group president. Toshiba also announced that its current vice president, Atsutoshi Nishida, would take the position of president and CEO after June 24.

Sony and Toshiba each announced its own unique next-generation disc format in 2002. In February, the two sides began negotiations for a unified disc standard, fearing a repeat of the VHS-versus-Betamax war of the early 1980s. The negotiations were broken on May 16 by Toshiba, which stated that its HD-DVD disc structure would be better suited than Sony's Blu-ray for use in a unified standard, since it would be more convenient to both consumers and Hollywood film studios in terms of cost.

Analysts feel that the chance of Toshiba and Sony coming to an agreement is virtually impossible, as each company sees its format as superior. Sony's main focus has been capacity, while Toshiba's has been cost of production.
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Source: GameSpot

No_Style · Jun 20, 2005, 10:26 PM

I'm thinking Blu-Ray is the way to go. Eventually the costs will go down. Why not use a format that will last a lot longer?

Kemal · Jun 21, 2005, 04:02 AM

Call me stupid, but why do we currently need more than 4.7gb, or double that on a dual layer, to watch a movie?

digerati · Jun 21, 2005, 04:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kemal

Call me stupid, but why do we currently need more than 4.7gb, or double that on a dual layer, to watch a movie?

Video compression. Even at 4.7gb a lot of movies are still too compressed for my liking. Plus the new formats will allow video to have a higher hopefully HD resolution. Currently HDTV channels are a higher resolution than DVDs.

SecretAgentMan · Jun 21, 2005, 07:39 AM

Hopefully they can work out a compromise but I will be happy with HD-DVD.

MSX · Jun 21, 2005, 08:31 AM

Sony classically loses the format battle because they like to sit on patents. Its why we are not using betamax or memory sticks.

I guess we will see.

Paradox Enigma · Jun 21, 2005, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MSX

Sony classically loses the format battle because they like to sit on patents. Its why we are not using betamax or memory sticks.

I guess we will see.

Bingo!

While most tech-savvy folks agree that Blue-Ray advances technology futher, it's average Joe-six-pack who will decide what gets adopted.

Necrosis · Jun 21, 2005, 10:51 PM

http://hometheater.about.com/od/vhsvcrs/a/dvhsvcrs.htm

There is another reason this is important. Better quality than this, and hopefully cheaper. I'm not going to pay 1K for the damn thing, and $40.00 for the movies.

Jun 20, 2005, 10:24 PM	#1
No_Style Styleless Wonder Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Ottawa, Ontario Posts: 6,034 Rep Power: 0	Sony, Toshiba fire up talk of a compromise Despite Kutaragi's comments last week that it was "game over," Sony shake-up prompts chipmakers to sit again at the negotiating table. The negotiations for a unified next-generation media standard between the Blu-ray and HD-DVD factions, led by Sony and Toshiba respectively, continue to bounce back and forth. Just last week, Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi said that talks between the two camps were done and that Sony would proceed with the Blu-ray format to prevent any delay to the PlayStation 3's release. However, according to a report by Nikkei Net, the two companies plan to once again open tables for discussion following their shareholder meetings in late June. Both Sony and Toshiba's top management will be changing after the upcoming meetings, which may impact the two media-format camps. However, with time running out for both sides, a conference involving heads of both companies is deemed necessary to come to a quick conclusion. Sony previously announced a major reshuffling in its board of directors, effective June 22, which included the appointments of Sony Corporation of America CEO Howard Stringer as group CEO and executive deputy president Ryoji Chubachi as group president. Toshiba also announced that its current vice president, Atsutoshi Nishida, would take the position of president and CEO after June 24. Sony and Toshiba each announced its own unique next-generation disc format in 2002. In February, the two sides began negotiations for a unified disc standard, fearing a repeat of the VHS-versus-Betamax war of the early 1980s. The negotiations were broken on May 16 by Toshiba, which stated that its HD-DVD disc structure would be better suited than Sony's Blu-ray for use in a unified standard, since it would be more convenient to both consumers and Hollywood film studios in terms of cost. Analysts feel that the chance of Toshiba and Sony coming to an agreement is virtually impossible, as each company sees its format as superior. Sony's main focus has been capacity, while Toshiba's has been cost of production. _______________ Source: GameSpot __________________ "The Best Style Is No Style" Specifications Here

Jun 20, 2005, 10:26 PM	Thread Starter #2
No_Style Styleless Wonder Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Ottawa, Ontario Posts: 6,034 Rep Power: 0	I'm thinking Blu-Ray is the way to go. Eventually the costs will go down. Why not use a format that will last a lot longer? __________________ "The Best Style Is No Style" Specifications Here

Jun 21, 2005, 04:02 AM	#3
Kemal DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 166 Rep Power: 0	Call me stupid, but why do we currently need more than 4.7gb, or double that on a dual layer, to watch a movie? __________________ ASUS A7N8X Rev 2.0 AMD Athlon XP 3000+ 1gb PC3200 DDR (512mb PC3200x2) + 256mb Radeon X800 Pro Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Windows XP SP 2

Jun 21, 2005, 07:39 AM	#5
SecretAgentMan DriverHeaven Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 98 Rep Power: 0	Hopefully they can work out a compromise but I will be happy with HD-DVD.

Jun 21, 2005, 08:31 AM	#6
MSX Burning the frozen... Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 1,201 Rep Power: 0	Sony classically loses the format battle because they like to sit on patents. Its why we are not using betamax or memory sticks. I guess we will see.

Jun 21, 2005, 10:51 PM	#8
Necrosis HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,838 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	http://hometheater.about.com/od/vhsvcrs/a/dvhsvcrs.htm There is another reason this is important. Better quality than this, and hopefully cheaper. I'm not going to pay 1K for the damn thing, and $40.00 for the movies.